At the conclusion of this past weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hours, a production 2013 Nissan GT-R emerged a class winner and the 30th finisher overall.

Piloted by Nissan’s first GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez in the SP8T class, together with Kazunori Yamauchi, Yasukichi Yamamoto and Tobias Schulze, the production GT-R not only finished the notoriously difficult race with amazing pace but with impeccable reliability too.

Nissan was out to test the reliability and durability of the GT-R, in particular its engine, transmission and suspension, which the car’s chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno previously explained will help engineers fine tune the car over the remainder of its life.

A second GT-R driven by Michael Krumm, Toshio Suzuki, Kazuki Hoshino and Tetsuya Tanaka finished 99th overall and second in the same SP8T class.

While the pair of GT-Rs used in the Nürburgring 24 Hours were production models, they were race-ready Club Track Editions that come equipped with a stripped-out interior, some minor aero mods and a full roll cage. Their engines, transmissions and suspension, however, were all completely stock.

Speaking at the conclusion of the race, Ordonez said, “I have learnt a lot this weekend and I have a new respect for the GT-R and this amazing race track.”

Krumm added, “It is so fast for a road car, up to the pace of the GT3 cars. The performance is good and it was a lot of fun and very exciting to drive.”